Port of Chehalis Announces New Property For Sale or Lease

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The Port of Chehalis announced this week that it completed a large site that is ready for industrial development, and is already courting two entities to either lease or buy it.

The Maurin Road Industrial Site 1 property is the port’s first completely shovel-ready site, said Port of Chehalis CEO Randy Mueller. According to a press release from the port, the site has been completely graded, filled and rocked.

“What we found is the real estate market has changed over the years,” Mueller said. “It used to be companies would regularly consider buying land and doing the site work. … Nowadays, it seems like everyone is on a tighter timeline. They want something that is ready to go. So having the shovel-ready site is something that makes us more competitive in the market.”

The site is 26 acres, with 17 acres available for construction. Its four-acre stormwater retention pond is fully built. The site is accessible both by road and rail line, which Mueller noted is a selling point for the site.

The work was completed by local contractor Sterling Breen Crushing and engineered by local firm RB Engineering. Work on the site began in mid July and was completed on Friday, Sept. 28.

Eighty percent of the work was funded by a grant from the US Economic Development Administration (up to $2.8 million). The Port of Chehalis funded the rest of the work, but Mueller said he hasn’t received the last bill yet. The contract with construction company Sterling Breen Crushing was $2,355,000, but that amount doesn’t include extra costs, such as permitting.

The Port of Chehalis came in under budget and will not be able to keep the remaining money from the federal grant.



Mueller said the Port of Chehalis prefers to lease or sell the site to a single entity.

“We would be willing to (split the property) if we could come up with the right fit,” Mueller said. “It’s ideally suited for one large user.” 

Mueller said two international groups have already expressed interest in the site.

“We are always courting businesses looking at the area,” Mueller said. “We have actually shown it to two seperate groups in the last month.”

Mueller noted that the lease or sale price depends on various factors. Specifically, Port of Chehalis commissioners would potentially give a better price to a company that provided more, or better, jobs to the area.

“Any sale or lease requires the port commission’s approval, so when we go to set those prices — whether it’s a sale or a lease — it depends on a number of things,” Mueller said.